Are You Voting in the Primary Elections on Tuesday?

On Tuesday. September 13th primary elections to select party candidates will be held in New York State – and in November all 150 seats in the Assembly and 63 seats in the Senate will be on the ballot. In contested districts you get to choose the candidates on Tuesday

The turnout in primary elections in New York State is abysmal – in the April presidential primary we had the second lowest turnout in the nation – we only trailed Louisiana.

In the hotly contested four-way race for the Democratic slot on the ballot in 2013 Bill de Blasio was the winner – only one in five registered voters participated and the winner, de Blasio, garnered an incredibly low number of New Yorkers.

Bill de Blasio took first place in the Democratic mayoral primary on Tuesday with the votes from only about 3 percent of all New Yorkers.

Not only does your vote count – when we consider voter turnouts each vote has an enormous impact. In the races referenced below; the September 13th primary is the election – the overwhelming Democratic registration guarantees election on November 8th. (See all the candidates across the state here)

I know a number of the candidates, some personally and others by reputation:

My endorsements:

59th Assembly District (Brooklyn – Canarsie)

Jaime Williams

Jaime is running for her first full term – she is the type of candidate we all want to see in the legislature – a supporter of public schools, a community activist, and really smart

65th Assembly District (Manhattan – Lower East Side)

Yuh-Line Niou

The Shelly Silver seat – a pro-Silver candidate won the special election in the spring – this is a complicated six-way race. Yuh worked in Albany as the chief of staff for Assembly member Kim – she understands the process and, again, is pro public education. She is also endorsed by the Working Families Party with labor support. I met her a few times – intelligent and anxious begin a new era in her district.

66th Assembly District (Manhattan – Midtown West)

Deborah Glick

Glick chairs the Higher Education Committee in the Assembly – the voice for CUNY and SUNY in Albany

67th Assembly (Manhattan – Upper West Side)

Linda Rosenthal

Linda has been in Albany for a decade and is a truly progressive, independent voice, and, she is reaching a point in seniority-driven Albany when she will be in line for key committee assignments. She has an impressive list of sponsored legislation that became law and is tireless!!!

19th Senate District (Brooklyn – Canarsie)

Roxanne Persuad

Roxanne is a friend!! After years as a community activist she moved on to elective office – a vigorous supporter of public schools, and with the distinct possibility of a Democratic majority in the Senate a chance for a key role.

31st Senate District (Manhattan – Harlem/Washington Heights)

Robert Jackson

Yes, the same Robert Jackson who was the lead litigant in the CFE lawsuit, Jackson served as Chair of the Education Committee on the City Council – one of his current opponents was the Bloomberg lobbyist in Albany – enough said!!

Every month I travel to Albany for the Regents Meetings and during the legislative session (January to June) visit legislators. I have a readership among the engaged members (hopefully) and try and move electeds to the “right place.”

In New York City the Democratic line on the ballot, with a few exceptions, will be the winner. In other words the miniscule voter turnout on Tuesday will determine the winner.

Yes, New York State has archaic voting procedures: you must be registered in a party to vote in the primary, voters who fail to choose a party when they register to vote are barred from participating in primaries. We do not have early voting, no voting by mail, no voting online; yes, we do have absentee ballots (Check out procedures and forms here)